In Gay Oblivion

One day last week, we headed down to Collyer Quay during lunchtime to settle some stuff. Crowds and buildings were boring to the kids until they saw people getting free frisbees. As part of the many advertising gimmicks, freebies are always handed out to the working crowds at Shenton Way. So right in the middle of the lunchtime crowd and busyness, Sarah and Samuel plays in gay oblivion, swinging their new found interest across the end of the grass patch to another. 

To date: Sammy has developed a mean swing and he throws the frisbee very well [he just needs to work on his accuracy]

Sarah is very Sad

As the day looms nearer for Daddy Daniel to leave to the UK to take his exams, Sarah is aware of the painful reality that her dearest Daddy would not be with her for a while [a short while]. Before she rested for the night, she drew 3 pictures,

Title Picture 1: Daddy and Sarah and the Castle of London

Title Picture 2: Super Daddy

Title Picture 3: Family on the road to our new house [4 + Auntie Rubi]

Did I also forget to mention that she half bawled her eyes out when she contemplated the thought of Daddy not being around? Looking at her cry, I felt like crying myself:(

Unexpected Visitors

My teaching pal, Sharon and her family braved the traffic and found her way to our new home, much to our delight. Here is an awesome pic that her hubby took of the kiddos enjoying their smoothie ice cream in the heat of the day.

Visitors

Ahgong, Ahma, Grandauntie Ahwah, Pohtin and Granduncle Hui

Sarah's best pal, Hannah

Cousins!

We have had a steady stream of visitors since we our place became liveable. The visitors have been very understanding, bearing with our incomplete house. First came Jie Jie Mabel, then Shu Shu Darrell, Kor Kor Wee Beng, Kor Kor Don Don, Uncle Jem, Grandpa and Grandma and Auntie CC and Shu Shu David and family. This weekend, Sarah was very happy. She has always been waiting for her Ahgong and Ahma to come. And finally, when she saw them walk through the door, she was very excited. As well as to see her grandaunties and granduncle. She did tell me once before she took her nap that she did not want everyone to come together. Hahah...She'd rather they come separately, so that she would have visitors everyday!! Hahah....And everytime, someone went home, she would be sad. Today, she was very quiet as she saw Auntie CC and Shu Shu David's car drive off our porch. But I was quietly proud of her as I observed her staring at the car and composing herself. I knew she was sad to see Hannah go off but she did not bawl. Sarah is learning about life everyday...and it gets tougher and tougher. 

Our Chalkboard Wall

This week, another area of our house is ready - the chalkboard wall that fronts our porch. I had some protesters [husband included] when I decided to ask our contractor to spray the front wall a stark black with chalkboard spray. I have always wanted a big chalkboard wall but would like it out of the house. And the wall was perfect - it officially turns our front porch to the kids outdoor art area - when they can do chalk, paint and play playdoh without me screaming at them for destroying our furniture:) It will still be challenging I foresee. Of course, it gives me a great opportunity for me to introduce house rules. This week was really a learning week for the kids as they learn to clean up after themselves - even pack their own beds. 

And the bonus - it makes a great backdrop for photo taking:)

A Full Day

Today we managed a full day with totnadoes Sarah and Samuel. When I mean full day, I mean no nap:) Sarah and Sammy [especially Sammy] are known for their 3 hr long naps. A typical day for them would start at about 9-9:30 every morning and end about 11:30 every night. 

Well, I must say it was a good full day made possible in our new home there are many things for them to do. They woke up about 9:30-10 today and the weather outside was just right:) As I sat down and ate my breakfast and tried to prepare some material for them to learn...it was amusing to see how Sarah pretended to be the teacher and was teaching Samuel how to trace lines on their book. So, I just stopped preparing and let them teach themselves. Haha...

Looking at the weather and the time, 11 am - it was perfect for our nature walk. But before we did, I decided to take out a present I bought for Sammy last year - a children's microscope. And get the kids interested in some detailed observation. Who better to show them how to use a microscope? Daddy Daniel! We fixed it up and let them view some samples which came with the toy. 

There goes the explorers! We didn't seem to get very far in the neighbourhood because the explorers were stopping every minute to check if the snail shell is empty, to catch sight of the fluttering butterfly, to run away from the trail of busy ants carrying a huge ant, to identify dog poo poo, and to play with the forget-me-nots....

After an hour, we headed home. As I prepared lunch, the kids played with the interactive Preschool Sesame Street CD rom which we borrowed from the library. After a soupy lunch, I was really thinking hard if I should let them forgo their nap and let them play on. Well, Sarah exclaimed, "Mommy, I am not sleepy. I have a lot of energy because I just ate a lot of food." 

So, they moved to the porch where they took out their playdoh toys and played and played. I sat there and read my own book and watched them play and play. By this time, about 3:30, the weather looked exceptionally fantastic for a mid afternoon. After getting them to pack up their mess, that's when we decided to head off to the club pool for a swim. No photos here as we were too busy playing and swimming. We spent another 2.5 hrs there before heading home. 

At home, they watched their favorite Dora DVD as I prepared a quick dinner. And by 8:30, I can tell that the totnadoes were loosing their steam. With the usual bedtime rituals, drinking milk, reading, brushing of teeth and a goodnight prayer, they are fast asleep at 9:30. 

*Yawn*...mommy needs some rest too.

More Cooking

A couple of other dishes using a self made teriyaki sauce - organic light soya sauce + wine [any wine in the house, preferable white] + clover honey [or sugar]. I did a Bimbi Rice and a Katsudon. 

Both look strangely similar because the ingredients are similar. I find the Katsudon really easy to make with some minor changes.

1. Cook rice and scoop into bowls when ready
2. Put a ladle of stock onto a medium heat pan.
3. Put the homemade teriyaki sauce into the pan [1 tbsp honey + 1 tbsp wine + 1 tbsp organic light soya sauce]
4. Add sliced onions
5. As I used raw shabu shabu sliced pork, I put it in now so the sauce can cook it. Of course the texture is different from fried pork cutlet.
6. When meat is about cooked, put 1-2 eggs [beaten] into the pan and cover so egg can steam.
7. When ready, placed it onto the bowls of rice. Add your condiments and serve. 

Accompanied with pumpkin soup to serve. Experiments and more experiments:)

Lapbook: Madeline

We started on Madeline this year - to complement the use of our big world map and to get the ever active kids to start learning and learning. I am thankful that since so many homeschooling mommies in America and other parts of the world have also tried their hands with Madeline that there are many available resources online. 

So it is off to the continent of Europe and the country of France for this lapbook. Our first lesson was simple - to identify where France is on the world map. The kids colored the flag of France and they were introduced to the Eiffel Tower. Sarah calls the Eiffel Tower - the "I-Phone Tower" much to my amusement. We played a nice illumination game on the computer via the official Eiffel Tower website- http://www.tour-eiffel.com/play-with-the-eiffel-tower. What was fun was the incidental learning which Sarah and Samuel had to type their own names onto the space provided. There are also much things to explore on the website. [check out the look of concentration on Sammy's face] Sammy is the diligent learner and Sarah is the casual learner. 

Our second lesson, we tried to recall where France is and the continent it is in. We still did quite a bit of work in this department. The kids simply insist that France is in Asia. Haha...Anyway, when I asked them, "Is France in the same continent as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines?", they both could tell me, "No". That's a relief:) We colored the Eiffel Tower  and glued a little sprinkler and did a simple craft on it. It was a craft I learnt in my childhood days. 

• Take a piece of cardboard and divide it mentally into different sections. 
• Color each section a different color using crayons.
• Lastly, use a black crayon and color over the different colors.
• finally, using a sharp tip [we used the end of a scissors], etch out the outline of the Eiffel Tower. I helped the kids with the tower and they did the fireworks. 

God Chooses to Give Life

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who make

the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are more than can be told.

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear. [1]
Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

I have told the glad news of deliverance 

in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

Thank you God...

Christ our Only Hope

This past week - I have gone for my three monthly blood test and physical examination and I am very grateful for the results - CA125 6.3. Daniel has received the Part A of his examination results and he has passed. In the midst of so much going on, and even when we have paid due diligence in my physical exercise, my diet and his studying, we are acutely acutely aware that all this is not of ourselves but by the grace of God. 

Yesterday in church, I was blessed by the simplicity of coming together to worship God - in songs of adoration, in the feeding of God's word and in our prayers together as a people. Our church is less than perfect but I have in the past couple years been at peace in coming together in a midst of a people who speaks without presumption, without bragging, without taunting, without comparison, without antagonizing  - but who have in speech and demeanor ministered to me in their simple, quiet ways.  There are much religious strongholds accumulated from the past to demolish but we trust that God will do his work of blossoming His fruit through the faithful and accurate teaching of His word. 

Perhaps one thing that binds our church together is the presence of much illnesses within our midst. The consistent reminder that life is mortal as a result of the sin-cursed world we live in is very real and very sobering. Since two church camps ago, we have come to the 'alarming' realization, that God meant for suffering and affliction for the good of His own. That is God's way of removing our dependence upon ourselves and allowing us to seek and see His face. Sure, we have been given all spiritual blessings from above [Ephesians] but suffering and affliction is a blessing when we see where God is leading us eventually - towards the likeness of Christ and Himself. It's a tough truth to swallow especially since we have been taught that blessings are a measurement of our obedience to Christ. But strange that we have never once considered that Christ who was perfectly obedient to God, even to the death of the cross - was given a humble title of a man of sorrow and suffering.

Our church unites in thanksgiving and in these times, prayers for our brother in Christ and his family as they go through one of the most difficult times of their lives. Sometimes, I really wish [being disney indoctrinated] that it will all go away and we all live happily ever after. But sadly no, God wants us to know that All things work together for good to those who love Him and God wants us to cast all our hopes on Christ, our only Hope. Help us God...

He's Got the Whole World in his Hands

This kids have been bugging me to start lapbook time but I still need more time to sort things out, the reno, their meals, and preparation for their education. Well, in the meantime, they have been playing with their world map. This is my Christmas present to my kids and partly for myself:) I realize how deficient I was in my understanding of the world around me - Geographically, economically, socially etc. This deficiency has made me myopic in my understanding of God and how He has worked in our world and continues to work in our world. So as part of the reformation of my mind and the training of my kids, I went on a search for a big visual world map to put in their nursery. I stumbled up this felt map from Geosafari. I thought it was great for the kids to have one which they can place felt pieces on. 

We have started learning continents.  The felt pieces are well organized: the names of continents are color coded in brown, countries in yellow. The kids enjoyed it very much...but I think we still need many sessions for them to really remember. For one, they do not know the difference between continents and countries:). 

We consciously allude back to the continents whenever countries crop up in our conversations as well as watching the news. Asia is very relevant for them as we talked about Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam etc. It will still take a while but we are all learning much, and that includes me:)

Finally Seriously Cooking

It took a long time but...nevertheless it happened - I am seriously cooking. And I realize that it's massive - not just the cooking part. But in organizing the kitchen, having the necessary utensils, separating the crockery for handling of raw food from cooked food, buying glass containers which are not harmful for storage, reading and understanding the basics of how spices work and slowly stocking up my pantry making it ready for whipping a quick meal and recording down the recipes onto stock cards so that I can free my mental ram from a mental clog. So this is my next project and as Dan advised me wisely- Not just learn how to cook surefire recipes but to understand and master the basics of cooking and thus develop for myself, the art of cooking. And in doing so, to enjoy the full liberties of creativity and bringing joy to my 'gobblers'.

So in the midst of hitting the books and experimenting, these are some surefire meals:) Still waiting for my oven to be installed. So in the meantime, it's crockpot and stove cooked food. 

Chicken Kway Teow Soup

Kiddo's Version: Chicken Kway Teow Soup

Teochew Porridge and Sweet Potato

 Steam Chicken, Steam Salmon, Kailan, Cabbage, 

Egg and Pork Omelette and Fishcake and Cheese Toufou. 

Spaghetti with Salmon

Poached egg and Cheese

Cauliflower Puree Soup

Fish Congee with Wolf Berries 

Organic Soba tossed in Organic Tahini and Miso

 Pan Fried Salmon

 Cauliflower Puree Soup